Time Travel Without a Passport
by Ellethwen Celtica
Summary: Legolas's daughter is living in Modern-day New York when she meets his mortal great-grandson. A harmless bowhunting trip ends up a trip through time and somehow Will and a few other Rangers get pulled into this too.
1. 7 AM on Saturday

1Lewis Greene was walking down the hallway from his dorm. Saturday, 7am, there was next to nobody in the halls. He looked down at his map of the school and sighed irritably. First day of classes and they're strung out from one end of the New York campus to the other. "Come on, Greene! We're going to be late!" Lewis spun around and looked up as the speaker rushed past him and was rewarded with a forceful slam against him. He stumbled back and dropped his books, while the kid who'd run into him hit the floor. Their books were not far behind.

Lewis bent down to pick up his books and the kid followed suit. "Sorry, dude. Clumsiness has struck again." Lewis looked up at the kid's face. She was very pretty, with what she guessed was naturally blond hair with streaks of grey and green dye. Her accent had traces of Brit, but she mostly sounded like a Floridian or Californian.

"Y'okay, man? Yur like all pale." She grabbed her last book and practically leaped up to a standing position.

"I'm fine. Hey, do you know where Mr. Egnogger's class is?"

She smiled at the name. "Yeah, man. It's down two floors, hook a right and go just past Ms. Trensan."

A voice from the stairs sang out, "Come _on_! Rats, you are **not** allowed to make us late on the first day!"

"Coming, O Great Scholar!" she cried. Then in a quieter voice, "Adios, dude. Let's not run into each other again." She dashed off. Lewis watched her jump down the stairs. So, Rats, he thought. Interesting name. He looked at his watch and cursed. 7:09 and class started at 7:10. Following Rats' lead, Lewis leaped down the stairs at breakneck speed.

**Please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Pledge of Allegiance, Black Velvet Band, or the Scotsman.**

1Five minutes later, Lewis practically burst into the classroom. "Sorry I'm late, Mr. Egnogger."

"No trouble, no trouble, but don't make it a habit. Mind telling me why you're late? Just sit down in that empty spot there." Egnogger gave Lewis a sheet of paper titled Rules and Expectations.

"I…got lost?" Lewis sat at the empty desk and noticed that Rats was at the desk next to him. She smirked.

"Is that a question or a statement, young man?"

"I got lost." Egnogger seemed content with that answer and continued talking about his absence policy. Once he finished, he rapped on his desk.

"We now call this class to order. We will start with the pledge of allegiance." Mr. Egnogger waited for everyone to get up before continuing towards the flag:

"I pledge allegiance

To the flag

Of the United States of America

And to the Republic

For which it stands

One Nation, Under God

Indivisible

With Liberty and Justice for all." Everybody sat down again.

"Now we will take attendance." Mr. Egnogger picked up a sheet of paper. "All right, Albret."

"Here!"

"Allens."

"Present!"

"Collins."

"Kidnapped by aliens!" Egnogger marked PRESENT on his sheet.

"Fulkan."

"Yo."

"Greene!"

"Here!" Lewis and Rats answered at the same time.

"_Lewis_." Lewis raised his hand. "All righty, then. Rat…ree-iss? Rye-iss?"

"Just Rats, Mr. E." He scribbled on his paper.

"The names you kids have these days," he muttered. "Harrison?"

The next time Lewis saw Rats, she was hanging upside-down from a tree and singing Celtic songs. She had one leg keeping her on the branch and was using her other as a table for the little book she was writing in. a guy with long brown hair tied in a ponytail was reading at the base of the tree and singing along. Every few minutes, Rats would give him the pencil she was holding and he'd give her a different one without looking up from his book. As Lewis got closer, he could hear what they were singing.

"…all you jolly young fellows

A warning take by me

When you're out on the town, me lads

Beware of the pretty colleens

They'll feed you with strong drink, me lads

Until yer not able to stand

And the very first thing you'll know is

You've landed in Van Diemens Land"

They paused for a moment, looked at each other, grinned and started singing again.

"Well, Scotsman clad in kilt,

Left the bar one evenin' fair.

And one could tell by how he walked,  
that he'd drunk more than his share.  
He fumbled 'round until he could  
no longer keep his feet  
then he stumbled off into the grass  
to sleep beside the street.  
Ring-ding-diddle-iddle-aye-dee-oh!  
Ring-die-diddilee-aye-oh…"

Lewis tuned away as tears sprang to his eyes. They'd reminded him completely of his father and Natalie. He shook his head. What is wrong with me? He hadn't thought of his dad and stepmom in an effect of tears for quite a while.

Later, in his dorm room, Lewis took a box from under his bed. He opened the box and looked through the leather bound journals. _Louis Green, start 1674; Larkspur Green, start 1697; Larson Green, st. 1712; Louis Green Jr. st. 1740; Lucky Green, 1776; Lincoln Greene, 1814; Louis Greene, 1943; Lyle Greene, 1978; _and the most recent one, _Lewis Greene, 2009-_. He had more in a camper that were from the 1800's and before 1647. This was his entire genealogy since the 1300's. He took out Lyle's and flipped to a random page.

_May 13, 1989_

_My son is born! Sweet Lorelei and the Great God have blessed us with a son! Jeanne is sleeping now, and my son Lewis is in the nursery. He has the startling blue eyes of all the men in our family, and reddish blond hair like Jeanne. I cannot tell who is more proud of him, me or Jeanne. Grandmother's angel came to see our baby boy, war outfit and all. At the moment of his birth, she flew into the hospital room and he came just fine. She held him and blessed him and took a feather from her wing, which she tied around his neck. "As long as he always wears the feather, he will be protected," she said. Then she flew off. His birth was truly a miracle. _

Lewis had never believed the story of his birth and the feather until he saw his Great-Grandmother's angel for himself. On the day his mother died, a lady angel in a WWII uniform came down from the sky, and let him and his mother say goodbye. Then he watched them fly to the heavens. He could still remember what his father had looked like when he'd found them. _"What happened?"_ His father had asked. _"Don't worry Dada. Mama got hurt by a pipe, but then Great-Grandma took her to her home in heaven. Mama said don't cry Dada. She wants you to be happy, not sad."_ His father had held him tight, but not once did he ever cry, at least never when Lewis was around. He got a girlfriend a few years after, she became his stepmom, and everything was fine.

Then 9-11 happened. His father had met Natalie because they were neighbors on the 97th floor of the first building to be hit. They had both been working when the plane hit. When he saw the news, he was there as fast as he could run. He had ignored the police and got there as the building collapsed. He'd been buried for three days, but still got out alive. While he was down there, he'd seen angels taking people and asked if they'd take him, too. One had said, "You are but fifteen. It is not your time." His Great-Grandmother and his Dad had come down to keep him company until help arrived, but when it finally did, they had left, and he'd felt so alone. Life had improved since then.

**Note: trust me when I say that the time traveling thing really will happen! We will also be seeing a werewolf, elves, and some orcs**

**Please R&R! **


	3. Anneversaries and Freebird

Ratreis felt a spark of sadness as she got back to her apartment. Tomorrow was the anniversary of her father's death. Unlike her mother, who had just been missing forever, Rats had no doubts that her father was dead. There was no way he could have survived…

Rats lay down on the couch and immediately fell asleep. Grief always made her tired, so she didn't let it worm through very often.

"_Nah-nah, you'll never catch me!" she jumped onto a tree and began climbing it. She hid quietly and watched her parents._

"_Where could she be?" asked her father, searching around._

"_I don't know," he mother replied. "Oh well, I guess we'll have to go on the picnic without her."_

_She leaped out of the tree and on to her father. "I'm here! Is Diego coming?"_

_The werewolf, currently in human form but still hairy, said, "Of course I am, Princess. Wouldn't miss it for a flock of rabbits on a full moon." He ruffled her hair. It was short now, she had cut it because she was sick of the boys taunting her. She didn't like anyone touching her hair but herself and Diego._

_A little while later Diego was parading around with her on his shoulders. He stopped, sniffed, and said, "I smell blackberries! It's a good thing I brought a pail, because now we can pick some!"_

"_You two go on ahead, we'll catch up in a few minutes." Diego grabbed his pail and walked into the trees. Then, quick and quiet, he gave her the bucket, dropped on all fours, and ran like a wolf, changing as he went. Once they reached the blackberries, she dropped the pail and he practically flew back to the trees around the picnic spot. He halfway changed back, and they listened to their parents._

"_-just kids, Legolas. You can't drag them into this and expect them to get it."_

"_I know, and they'll see enough war in their lives. We can't keep the wool of blindness on them forever, and I have this feeling that we have to start soon."_

"_That's called your gut, genius. Maybe you've been spending too much time with Galadriel."_

"_About eight thousand years in the Undying Lands. Then I come back here, and everything's changed! Back to the Undying Lands for another twenty-four years-"_

"_Back here again, and we have two children who might be cliff diving at the moment." Diego took off with her, and they managed to speed pick a half-bucket of blackberries into the pail before their parents got there. Once they found them, they saw Diego doing most of the picking, as in "One for the bucket, one for the Princess, one for the bucket, one for the werewolf…"_

A ringing telephone jolted Rats out of Dream Street. She flipped open the cell and said in a what-do-you-want-I'm-sleeping tone, "This is Roadkill, would you like it Dodged, Forded, or Ferraried?"

"Where in Jesus are you?" Uh-oh. When Jukebox sounded like this, one must answer quickly and shrewdly.

"Where should I be?"

"At the college! It's nearly eight and it's time for practice!"

"I'll be there ASAP." Rats changed into jeans and a T-shirt and grabbed the instrument case. Her roommate, Molly, came out of the kitchen

"Late again?"

"Must've fallen asleep. When did you get home?"

Molly laughed. "About three hours ago. I'll drive you to college."

About five minutes later, Ratreis and Molly jumped off the bike and ran like hell toward the college. Instead of the elevator, they bounded up the stairs three at a time, and woke several early sleepers in the process. As they were rampaging, Lewis just happened to step out of his dorm.

_Whapp_! This time, Lewis flew back with spots in his vision and Rats fell down the stairs. Molly's eyes flashed from Lewis to the stairs in horror. They heard a voice from the stairs, "While that was fun, I thought we agreed _not_ to run into each other."

"You were the on in a race, Grace." As Lewis's vision cleared, he saw his roommate, Alex, stepping cooly down the stairs.

"If you think that nickname is helping me out in any way, you are obviously blind. Don't help me up. I'm fine. Go ask your roommate if he has a concussion." Lewis smiled and got up.

As he saw Rats, he said, "Sorry, do you know my name? I must have become amnesiac. Guess I can't take the test tomorrow." She laughed, and he continued, "Seriously, though, do you always go everywhere in such a hurry? Maybe I should start wearing a helmet."

Alex replied in a girly tone, "I'm late _all_ the time. I really need to get a watch and an alarm clock so I might actually be on time." In a normal voice he asked, "Where the Jesus is your instruments?

"Are."

"What?"

"You should say, 'Where the Jesus _are _your instruments?'"

Alex scowled and muttered "Teachers." As Lewis opened his mouth, Alex turned and said, "Shut up. You do the same thing." He strode down the hall with Rats and Molly following.

At their backs Lewis said, "While you're at it, you shouldn't say 'What the Jesus' because Jesus is a who!" Alex then proceeded to flip the double bird. Lewis chuckled softly and went back into his shared dorm.

Down the hall, Rats, Molly and Alex entered Jukebox and Nuke's dorm. They didn't shut the door, it would soon be opened again by curious college-goers. Being the first practice of the school year, they were only a little nervous about how the neighbors would react to them pounding their strings and sticks.

Molly opened the instrument case and pulled out a guitar, which she threw to Juke, and a banjo, which she gave to Rats. The lyre, flute and fiddle went to Alex. Keychain was already at his keyboard and Skittles was getting out his drumsticks. Nuke had his spoon that he used as a microphone when they weren't trying to bring down the house. Everything except the keyboard and drums came out of the instrument case that Molly had. She didn't play anything, but she was the most responsible of them and therefore volunteered to lug their stuff around.

Alex raised an eyebrow toward Rats. "Since when can you play a banjo?"

"I've always been able to play a banjo," Rats answered, looking dead serious.

Juke chipped in. "You know what her motto is-"

"If there's strings attached, she can do it." Nuke finished.

"Unless it's a bow," Skittles said.

"Unless it's a bow," Nuke admitted.

"I can shoot a bow," Rats said indignantly. "And if it's movin' sometimes I can even hit the target."

Nuke and Juke grinned at each other. "Man, Jukebox, those trees up in Colorado must've been movin' so damn fast we never saw 'em!"

"I know Nuke! I've never seen trees move that fast!" Rats muttered something that none of the boys could here or understand. "I know how you feel," Molly whispered back in Dwarvish.

"Okay, guys. While we're on the subject of bows and the good Colorado, everybody needs to bring a buddy to the bowhunting trip this year. They need to be able to shoot or run the things toward us and they can't be squeamish. Also," Alex paused. "If you bring a member of the opposite gender, no canoodling in the middle of the night."

"Can we get to practicing? We didn't just run up fifty million stairs so we can sit and chat. We do that in class all the time."

"Geez Rats, you're always saying you're an elf, so how about acting like one and being patient for once?"

"Rats, I hereby challenge you to a banjo-fiddle match! Let's see how good you really are!"

About 10 songs and a Freebird later…

"Truce! Truce. Banjo wins. No more. Practice over." Alex flopped onto the bed. Rats put the banjo back in the case and lay down on the floor. She wiggled he fingers to keep them from getting stiff. Then she put her hands behind her head.

"So…" started Skittles.

"So." replied everyone else.

"Any thoughts on the hunting group?"

"Rats is going to ask Ringtail, because she's too shy to ask anyone else-"

"Am not."

"Molly had to dog dare you to say hi to me the first time."

"So?"

"Rats, Juke, shut it. Alex is going to ask Natalie, who will say no, and then he'll ask Lewis, because, hey, new roomie clearly has an interest."

"He's also clearly related to our sweet Ratreis." put in Alex.

"Really? I never noticed."

"Yeah, you both have those death stare eyes."

"What'd ya do, make 'im mad?"

"No, he just woke up cranky."

"Sleeping anywhere near you would make anyone cranky." Before Alex could answer that, Nuke and Keychain whacked him on the head and Skittles kicked Rats in the ribs.

"All right, laddybucks. It is definitely past your bedtime. Mol?"

"Yeah. Everything's already packed up anyway. Come along children."

"Yes, Mother," Alex and Rats answered in innocent tones. Molly rolled her eyes, grabbed the instrument case, and walked out, Alex and Rats following obediently. Once the door was shut, they started signing to each other. They had taken ASL last year as an elective and were pretty good at it.

As they approached the door of Alex's dorm, Molly started pounding on it and yelled "Lewis?" It took a few seconds before the door opened and Lewis appeared, yawning. He had on a loose nightshirt and shorts. "Lewis, your roommate needs adult supervision because he gets into fights with other children. Can you handle him?"

"Yeah. Sure. Come on in Alex. Goodnight, girls." He yawned again. Alex winked and shut the door behind him.

Back at their apartment, Molly was watching Rats dig through the kitchen drawers with one hand and holding candles in the other. "Why do you even go on the hunting trips? You don't eat meat."

Rats closed the drawer and opened the one below it. "Neither do you. And you know exactly why."

"How old are you, really?" Molly got up from her chair.

"Who knows? With the TTT, I may be older than you? Man carel le, Arwena?"

Molly reached on top of the cabinet and handed Rats a book of matches. "Looking for these? I believe I know what you are doing." In a voice just louder than a whisper she asked, "Man mathach?"

Rats answered, "Hannon le, Im maer. I Anor hilol."

"No it's not. That's just a streetlamp." They both laughed. Rats lit the candles and they sat in silence for a while. After that, Rats snuffed the candles and they went to bed.

**Elvish translations**

**Man carel le, Arwena?- What are you doing, Arwena?**

**Man mathach?****- how do you feel?**

**Hannon le- thank you**

**Im maer- I'm well**

**I Anor hilol- the sun is shining**

**Finally this story is going somewhere! this chapter took for_ever_ to write!**

**If you don't review, a ringwraith will com and get you, so spare yourselves please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this took forever. I'll not bore you with the details but it involved getting a new computer and internet.**

The next few weeks passed in a blur, between getting stuff prepared for the trip, helping others get prepared, telling professors and getting homework assignments. By the beginning of September, they were ready. They'd packed their bows, clothes, arrows, boots, and all other necessities, but each only had one bag, excepting Lewis, Alex, Rats, and Molly, who'd packed it all in one. Ten bags in all.

They were the last to board the plane, and as they went to there assigned seats, Lewis and Ratreis found themselves sitting next to each other. They fastened their seatbelts and Lewis asked, "So, do you really think we're related?"

Rats had a masked expression as she answered, "Dunno, but Alex is sure sure."

"How would Alex be sure if we aren't?"

"He believes that we both have the same death glares."

Lewis laughed. "That sounds about like Alex."

"How long have you known him?"

"Mmm...since two days before you and I met."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, his old roommate made a last minute switch."

"That's good. His last roommate was a git."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm." Ratreis's accent was becoming more pronounced. Lewis guessed that she usually put an effort into it, and just slacked up.

"Molly's your roommate?"

"Yeah, we live in an apartment. She's my cousin."

"How's she related?"

"She's Uncle Ro's kid." As if on cue, Molly appeared.

"Hey guys, have you seen Cuke? He turned green and I went to get the pills from Skittles and haven't seen him since."

"He's probably near the bluewaters. Go get Alex to help you." Molly nodded and walked off.

"Cuke?" Lewis asked.

"Yeah. There's Nuke, Juke, Cuke, and Fluke, and then there's Skittles, Rollos, Keychain, Kitkat, George, Molly, you...and me. Fluke, Rollos, Kitkat, George, and Molly and me are all the girls."

"Oh. Do you guys know each others' real names or just the names you call each other."

"Some of us know some of ours, but we call each other by our chosen names."

"Oh." They talked some more, Alex, Molly, and Cuke visited, Rats slept a while, and Lewis read. When he looked up, she had a book of her own. "What are you reading?"

"I'm not. This is a sketchbook I kept before I came to college." She set the book down so Lewis could see. It was a drawing of two boys and a girl wearing what looked like Rennesaince type clothing. The girl was in a net hanging from a tree and apparently shouting at the boys. One of the boys was pulling the rope keeping her in the net while the other was tying the rope to a tree.

"Did you draw that?" Lewis asked.

Ratreis shook her head. "My sister did this one. I was a little tied up at the moment."

"That's _you_ in the net?"

"Yes. The short one's Will, the other one is Horace."

"How old were you?"

"I would have to say she was a young adolescent, yes?" They looked at the new person. He was taller than Rats, with dark hair that was a bit shaggy and a gotee and mustache. He had a definite British accent and wore a T-shirt and shorts.

"Diego! Long time no see!" Rats grinned at the stranger.

He smiled back. "Who is your friend? Loreli and Valar, you wouldn't believe how much you both look like your father."

"That makes two," Lewis said.

"Diego, this is Lewis, from college. He's going hunting with us. Lewis, this is Diego, my brother."

"Pleased to meet you, Lewis." He bent foreward the tiniest bit, which could have been a bow if it were not in this time.

"Ai, Diego! What brings you aboard?" Molly walked up.

"I am going to the family reunion. You got the message, did you not?"

"No, we didn't."

"Now you have the message. Do come." Molly nodded. THe pilot came over the air and told everyone to get seated because they were landing.

**Please R&R!**


	5. The Bus

**A/N: Hello again. Another chapter and thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

No one except maybe Rats saw Diego once they'd gotten off the plane. Once everyone had retrieved their luggage and gotten outside, there was no possibility of finding him. So they waited for their ride and Molly realized she had forgotten to ask where The reunion was. Colorado was a big state, after all.

A bright orange shortbus pulled up beside them. The doors opened and the group piled in. Lewis noticed that the driver was greeting everyone by name. When she saw Lewis, she turned to the back of the bus and yelled, "Ha! You owe me!" She turned to him and said, "Oi, Lewis, I am Sil, the bus driver and your chauffeer today. If you chuck your stuff at Alex's face I will also give you chocolate. Cool beans?"

"Uh...sure." Behind him, Rats tripped and knocked them both down. She got up, coughing, and grabbed the bag Lewis had dropped. She then threw the bag toward the back of the bus. The two sat down, and they were off.

"So Mol, who the hell is Diego?" Alex was always right to the point.

"My cousin. We haven't seen each other in years."

"And that's because..."

"We moved, lost each other, yadda yadda blah blah blah. Typical growing up and moving out."

"Where are you from, anyway?" Lewis asked.

"Oz." Rats answered, and that was the end of it.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Sil called out "Pit stop!" Everyone looked out the windows to see a big sign that read **Burlington Coat Factory**.

"Coat factory?" Nuke questioned.

"Do we _need_coats? These are New Yorkers you're hauling." A banana materialized on Alex's face. "Hey! I just asked." They whipped into a parking spot. Rats and Sil were the first ones out. They led the way into the store to the right of the Coat Factory, **All C's Collectibles**. As Lewis shut the bus door, it beeped, making him jump back about four feet. Once Lewis caught up to the others (who didn't even try to hide grins) he said, "I take it that was not a random beep."

"Nope. Liz." Kitkat answered.

"Who's Liz?"

"You'll find out." As they went in, Kitkat asked, "Why, Sil?"

"To look around. I'm picking up my neighbor and her company." Everyone wandered about the small store. Five minutes later they were all in the checkout line while Sil led a group of three back to the bus.

Once the Lewis got back, Sil pointed out a head sticking out from under the driver's seat. "That's Liz the Lizard. She doesn't like you or Alex." Lewis gave a nod and took a seat. He pulled out his book and observed the newcomers across from him out of the corner of his eye. The one at the window was tall and willowy, with short blonde hair and piercing violet eyes. She radiated wisdom and protectiveness. Lewis noticed that she looked a bit like Rats, and like him, too.

The other girl was a lot different. She was lying on the seat, and on the first girl. Her hair was brown, long, and curly, pulled back in a ponytail. She seemed about twelve, and short for her age. There was writing crawling up her right arm, indicating that she was left handed. She was slender and it seemed, almost fragile. Lewis realized both girls were dressed identical. They had grey trench coats, green dresses that reached midcalf, black socks, and black combat boots.

"So where are you from?"

"Gunnison." the blonde answered.

"So you're Sil's neighbor. What's your name?"

"Estel Ellethwensia."

"Lewis Greene."

Estel's eyes went distant for a split second. "My sister's last name is Greene." At Lewis's glance toward the younger girl, she said, "Ratreis."

"Ratreis is in the bus right now, toward the front."

"I know. We have not seen each other for years."

"Who's she?" Lewis pointed to the younger girl.

"Coralin, my sister."

"Does that mean Diego's your brother, too. Since Rats is your sister?" Estel's frown deepened when he had said Rats. He mentally kicked himself.

"Yes."

"Is Ratreis really an elf?" _Oh Loreli, that was a stupid question,_ Lewis thought. Two strikes.

Estel didn't answer for a moment, deep in thought. "Our opinions differ on that, but she has proven Eryn Lasgalen to be hers as much as anyone elses."

Lewis was spared trying to answer that by Sil's second call of "Pit stop!" Everyone got out of the bus to strech their legs. Lewis walked over to Alex, who was taking a picture of himself and the Sinclair dinosaur. "I always have to take a picture of this guy. I have been to this gas station every year since seventh grade, when I got old enough to hunt. I'm native."

"That's cool. Hey, do you know what Eryn Lasgalen is?"

"Yeah, it's another name for Mirkwood. Why?"

"No reason. The name just popped up in conversation." Lewis shrugged and went inside. _Mirkwood, Sweet Loreli. She's old._No thoughts of it being a lie occurred to him. He had been raised believing in Elves, immortals but not quite gods. His father had told him many stories about the Elves of old, especially the Elrondions and Legolas Tharanduillion. _I almost wonder if she's related to Legolas. Nah, probably not._

Something whacked him in the back of the head. "Time to go, Geranimo." Lewis turned around. It was Coralin. He swallowed a sarcastic remark and followed her back to the bus. Ratreis and Estel were behind them, talking in a foreign language.

Everyone except Lewis, Coralin, and Diego slept the rest of the way to Gunnison. Coralin was driving, which had made Lewis nervous at first, but once he had heard about Diego's only driving experience, Lewis decided teen driver was better than Diego driver.

"I am the second oldest. Estel was the first by a few ages, but she did not know who her father was until after Nary was born. I am adopted, and so is Coralin. Nary was born after I was, and she grew like an elf, *ahem*, very slowly. So did I, for a while. I stayed at the physical age of sixteen for nearly eighty-three years." _Big family,_ Lewis thought. At least five he counted.

"Are you another elf?"

"Assuredly not."

"Then a vampire?"

"Wrong again."

"What are you?"

"I am a werewolf."

"And Coralin is..."

"Human." she answered. The rest of the trip to Gunnison was in silence.

Once they got to Sil's house, Estel, Diego, and Coralin departed, saying a few words to Ratreis and Molly on their way. The majority of the New Yorkers were still asleep, so Sil, Lewis, and Ringtail brought blankets out to the bus and put them helter-skelter on the snoozers. Then they found a comfortable place and got some sleep themselves.

**A/N: Hope you like this chapter. We're almost getting somewhere here! And now you get the chance to get ideas! What do you think should happen in this story? The main characters are Elrohir, Elladan, Will, Horace, Ratreis, and Lewis. The genre is Adventure/Friendship.**

**Anonomous-yes and no. **

**Deltoraquestlover-is this a soon enough update for you? :)**

** Wilson-yes, the name is Rats, and you may find out why, i'm not sure. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Deltoraqueatlover, i lied. They start in this chapter.**

_"Sildur, take Miluiel with you. I cannot come." Tears ran fiercely down her cheeks, and the same went for Sildur._

_"How many more years must I wait to be with the one I love? Please, Narylfiel, come with us." He grasped her shoulders lightly._

_"They hate me there. I have responsibilities here. Goheno nin, I cannot come."_

_"I love you! Is that not enough?"_

_"For me it is, Sildur, but I feel in my heart that I must stay."_

_Sildur dried his eyes and kissed her. "I will be waiting for you there. I love you, do not forget that." He took Miluiel from her hands and ran off toward the ship. Still crying, she turned back toward Castle Redmont._

"Crap." Rats said as she woke up. She looked around. No one else in the bus was awake, but neither Sil nor Ringtail were there. She quietly slipped out and found herself in the forest. Ringtail was at a fire, making (from the smell of it) coffee. Sil and Alex were sitting across from him, enjoying poptarts. As Rats sat down, RIngtail poured the coffee.

"So," Alex said as he got his cup. "We were deciding who will be partnered with who." He took a sip."Fluke and George are partners, Rollos and Kitkat, Juke, Cuke, Nuke's with Skittles, Keys chose Molly, Sil's with me, RIngtail's alone, and that leaves you and Lewis."

"Here's your bag. I loaded it up with everything, including you bow, arrows, and pistol. You know how it works. Here's Lewis's bag. You'll have to show him how it works." They were simple enough, just typical Hogwarts-type magic. Sil had it.

"And here's the man now," Alex said loudly as Lewis came over.

Rats threw his bag at him and said, "Accio charm. Not too hard. Let's go."

"See you in a few days!" Alex yelled as they walked off.

Once in the cover of the trees, Ratreis pulled her longbow out of her bag. Next came a camoflaged cloak and her quiver. She put both on and strung her bow. Then she slung her pistol on her left. Lewis took his backpack off. "Accio bow and quiver," he whispered. They appeared. "You do magic?" he asked. Rats shook her head.

They hunted for two days before finding anything fresh. On the third day, there was a newly made elk nest. Rats followed the tracks and Lewis followed her. This went on for a while. "They were moving like a stampede. Something's scared them."

Lewis heard footsteps a few minutes later. He tapped Rats's shoulder. She nodded. It sounded like a four legged animal, coming toward them, but still pretty far away. Lewis judged and noted that they were downwind of the thing. Ratreis quickly and silently climbed an aspen, her bow slung across her back. He knew he couldn't follow her, so he crouched down and waited, trusting the camoflage. The sounds were getting closer, he guessed about a hundred and twenty yards away.

Then, almost directly above him, Lewis heard a growl, then a scream of pain. He looked up and pulled his bow, arrow already on the string. Rats was falling from the tree, a mountain lion on top of her. She had her pistol out and shot six times. One bullet sliced through its tail, another ripped its ear. Lewis loosed an arrow and it struck the thing's leg. It roared as it hit the ground and Lewis loosed again. His arrow grazed the lion's back. It turned in a blink and leaped at Lewis. He dodged and the lion's claws ripped through his arm instead of his heart. He fought back a yell and spun to see the lion in mid-air coming at him. There was movement in the corner of his eye as he dropped to his knees and spun to the side. The lion's claws struck his face. his vision was clouded by blood. Th lion pounced again and hit Lewis, knocking his head against a rock and effectively knocking him out.

xxx

Estel walked into the village. It was nearing dusk and the shadows were moving from the lamps' flickering candlelight. _Over a year_, she thought. _And I still haven't found Coralin._ From an alley on her left there was a clatter of many things falling over. She ran over. There was a girl looking utterly bewildered. She was tall and blonde, dressed in white and had a laurel pin. She walked over and in Rohan's language asked, "Are you all right?" The girl looked at her but gave no impression of understanding. Switching to Common, Estel asked again, "Are you all right?" The girl nodded. _Yes!_ "Who are you?"

"My name is Alyss. I'm a Courier of Arulen. Who are you?"

"Estel the Hopeless. You aren't in Arulen anymore, this is Resnerta, in Rohan. You may want to stay with me."

"I don't know you. You might be trying to lure me in and kill me."

"I am a healer. I do not insist you come with me. Do what you will." Estel turned and walked toward her house. After a few moments, there was a soft padding following her own. She sighed, and wished it was her sister. Then she thought, _If wishes were knives, I would be dead of sheer weight._

**Elvish translation**

**Goheno nin- forgive me**


	7. Apprentices

Halt Carrick woke with the dawn. As he looked around, he became confused and suspicious. This was not where he had gone to bed last night. He and his seventeen-year-old apprentice were supposed to be in a clump of bushes near the road to Seacliff, to visit some friends. Speaking of his apprentice...

Will appeared about three meters in front of him. Spotting his mentor, he ran up to Halt. "Halt! Do you have any idea what's going on?" he asked, confusion in his voice.

"I would guess that we had been kidnapped, but that wouldn't explain why we are alone in a forest."

"That was Gilan's idea, too, and the only other person we've seen is Horace."

"Gilan and Horace are here, too? What about Abelard and Tug?"

"We haven't found them."

"Let's get back to the others, and we'll work out a course of action." Will nodded, and turned back the way he'd come. Halt followed silently, his mind full of questions and empty of answers.

xxx

The two-legger stirred, and the dog raised its head. The two-legger had been asleep since before noon, surely she would wake up now! Instead, she muttered and went back to her rythmic breathing. The dog sighed. Two-leggers were hopeless.

The two-legger had appeared from thin air, unconcious. One second there was nothing there, and the next, she was! The dog felt that she was supposed to protect her, so she had laid down next to her and waited for her to wake up. The dog had not tried to wake the two-legger. Like all black cat-ears, she was a Healer's dog. Her two-legged partner was Ellethwen, a young healer who had found her a year ago and named her Maer.

Maer stood up and streched. She decided the two-legger had been asleep too long to be good. Maer licked her face. She whined. She barked. She pawed the two-legger. Nothing worked. Maer growled with irritation. Time to try something else.

At the two-legger's side was a Healer's bag. Maer nosed the bag open and looked inside. After a few seconds, Maer found a bottle that smelled like wake up potions.

Some instinct made Maer hesitate before putting the bottle down. There was a low growl behind her. Maer leaped around, the bottle still in her teeth, and saw the biggest wolf in her known life. The wolf seemed familiar for a split second. The wolf growled again, and this time, Maer growled back. They both charged at ecach other, and as they collided the wolf twisted, throwing Maer against a tree. The vial still in her mouth cracked but did not break. She charged again, this time hitting the wolf in his side, but he only staggered a few steps before snapping at her. She ducked and tried to headbutt the wolf in the throat, but he was too quick, and she hit shoulder bone instead. At this point, the bottle shattered, and they were both covered in the liquid. The two fought a few more moments before something like a club hit them, and they lay, stunned.

Ratreis had woken during the fight. She had recognized Diego and had yelled for him to stop. Apparently he hadn't heard her, and out of frusteration she had cast a clubbing force upon the two animals. As she watched, both creatures were getting smaller, until they were pup sized. She crawled over to them and nearly cut her hand on a piece of glass. Cursing, Ratreis picked it up. On it was a part of a label that Ratreis recognized as Coralin's. "ging po" was what it read, and she cursed again. A strong deaging potion had been in the bottle, which Cori had brought home last Christmas and forgot to bring back to school.

Now thoroughly irritated, Ratreis noticed that she was not in an aspen and pine forest anymore. Instead, it was mainly oaks and maple trees, along with some that she hadn't seen, since…

_Well, since Europe was still considered Middle Earth, which is where I guess I am now._ Ratreis pinched the bridge of her nose. _Bloody ironic, if you ask me._ A yap brought her out of her musings. Her brother-turned-puppy and the black German Shepherd had recovered from the stunning. She sighed and silently cast a magic circle around her and the pups. She did not want them running off. Ratreis then set off southward. Unbeknownst to her, a silent pair of feet followed her tracks, thirty feet in the air.

_This stranger is like nothing I've ever seen! If he only wore his simple browns, he would not look out of the ordinary, but with the strange cloak, he almost seems to melt into the woods. Without a word or movement, he had managed to stun both the wolf and my dog, and turned them into puppies! He must be watched, if only to keep him from causing more danger, and to keep Maer safe._

xxx

"Here, try these on." Estel threw a bundle of clothes at Alyss. "You are supposed to be my apprentice, so it would be good if you looked like one."

Alyss put the green tunic and breeches on, and couldn't help noticing that they fit exactly to her. Estel looked at her, gave a nod, and stuffed a few more pairs into a saddlebag. She also added a few books and some white socks, a pair of which she threw to Alyss along with moccasins. Estel buttoned the saddlebag and took her own apprentice Healer insignia, a bronze athelas leaf on a silver chain.

Estel examined Alyss with a critical eye. "Something's not right…" She thought a moment, and quick as lighning was behind Alyss, while blonde hair fell to the floor. "Healers have short hair." Estel said.

Alyss only gave an expression of surprise and felt her shoulder length hair. "Is that all, then?"

"No. Now you have to take an oath. Raise your right hand and repeat after me."

"All right. I'm ready."

"I, say your name, do solemly swear, to abide by Healer code."

"I, Alyss Mainwaring, do solemly swear, to abide by Healer code."

"I will work only to help and never cause bodily suffering."

"I will work only to help and never cause bodily suffering."

"And the only time I shall wield a weapon against another is in self defense of the most dire need."

"And the only time I shall wield a weapon against another is in self defense of the most dire need."

"All right then, you are now a Healer's apprentice." And with that, Estel slipped the athelas leaf over Alyss's head.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Finally another chapter has come! Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and reading.**

"-about three days old. The person is about one point nine meters and 120 pounds."

"And this tells us..?"

"We aren't alone in the forest, maybe. Someone else visited recently. We should track them and see where the trail ends."

"Lead on, Rangers."

xxx

Lewis had only been lost twice before, once in the city, and once in the woods. He was seven then, and it had been a day before anyone found him. After that, his dad had taught him as much about living in the wild as he could. They had gone hunting and camping several times to practice and such. Still…

Lewis unconsciously fingered the feather around his neck. He definitely knew he wasn't in Colorado anymore. It wasn't late summer, either. There was a chill in the air and patches of snow on the ground in the shade. It was pretty quiet, things were just starting to become lively. There was the almost-spring feeling to this place. He could be on the other side of the world!

There was a snap somewhere behind him. It took all of Lewis's willpower not to jump and spin around. Instead, he slung his bow across his shoulder and leaped up to a tree branch, then climbing the tree fairly high. Lewis looked back down, and nearly had a heart attack.

A huge tarantula was crawling on the ground below him. Just the body was nearly seven feet long, and each leg had to be double that. _Sweet Lorelei!_ Lewis thought, frozen. He wasn't normally afraid of spiders, but this thing was a lot bigger than he was.

The spider passed by without hesitation. Lewis waited for a few minutes before dropping back down to earth and resuming his journey, although he walked a different path than what the spider had.

xxx

Rats and the puppies had found Lewis's trail. It was a few days old, but that wasn't surprising. Time travel was not the most accurate thing in the world. The way Rats thought, it was a miracle that it was only a few days old, instead of a few years. By then Lewis would have probably gotten himself into a disaster.

Diego yipped at her. "You're hungry already?" Ratreis asked in mock disbelief.

**:What can I say? I'm a growing boy.:**

**:You're still aware of the present?:** Ratreis asked, now in real disbelief.

**:Yes, but the same can't be said for my student. She has truly gone to the dogs.:**

**:What do you mean?:**

**:Maer does not remember being human. She says she has been a Healer's dog for a year. She remembers nothing before that.:**

**:Become human please. This mental speech is tiring me out.:** Diego consented to her wishes and once he was human, Ratreis asked, "What is Maer your student for?"

"Lycanthropy. She's the seventh daughter of a seventh son, and she needs to learn control."

"But she isn't a wolf. She's a German shepherd." Ratreis sat against a tree.

"You change to suit your surroundings. Wolves are hunted in her area, so she's a dog."

"Then wouldn't it be caninethropy?"

"Nary—someone's coming!" Diego quickly turned back into a wolf pup and Ratreis flipped her hood up and shifted so she was mostly hidden. The two puppies crouched under a bush.

Ratreis heard the footsteps seconds after Diego's warning. His hearing wasn't _that_ much better than hers. There were four sets of steps, but three of them were light enough she doubted Lewis would have heard. When they came into her sight, she almost twitched.

It was three well-known Araluen Rangers, and the Oakleaf Pancake. Ratreis smirked a tiny bit, and it must have caught a Ranger's attention, because he stopped and looked at her, then his eyes immediately started to roam, looking for signs of movement.

Some kind of fuzzy thing landed on her nose, and she had to sneeze. _Bloody damn hell!_ She thought, and as she sneezed, Maer had the sense to bark and run out from the bush, drawing the Rangers' attention away from anything else. _Thank God._

Unfortunately, as the Rangers plus one walked past her, the knight tripped over the bow she had in her hand, causing her to fall, too. Immediately, all three Rangers had their arrows nocked and their bows drawn, pointing at her.

"Who are you?" asked one of them in a deadly voice. "I know you aren't a Ranger."

It was time to play innocent. "Je ne vous comprends pas." (**I cannot understand you.**)

Another Ranger said, "Dites-moi votre nom, avant que je suis tenté de de vous tirer dessus." (**Tell me your name, before I feel tempted to shoot you.**)

Ratreis pulled off her hood and put on a fearful face. "S'il vous plait, non! Je suis Reis, seulement un apprenti!" (**Please, do not! I am Reis, only an apprentice!**)

"Un apprenti de quoi?" (**An apprentice of what?**)

Ratreis thought really fast before saying, "Application de la loi." (**Law enforcement.**)

The Ranger snorted. "Il n'y a pas application de la loi de Gallica." (**There is no law enforcement of Gallica.**)

Ratreis looked confused. "Gallica? Qu'est-ce que c'est?" **(Gallica? What is that?)**

There was movement in the trees which caught everyone's attention. "Reis! You are difficult to find, sibling! Ou est votre mentor?" (**Where is your mentor?**) _Thank the Valar Lewis knows French! _Ratreis thought.

"Elle m'a envoyé pour trouver les autres! Je n'ai trouvé que des ennus à ce jour!" (**She has sent me to find the others! I have only found trouble so far!**)

"I do not think we count as trouble, necessarily. What others?" the Ranger said, in English.

Lewis dropped from the tree he was in, landing as gracefully as a cat. He had an arrow on his string, but his bow was not at full draw, nor was it aimed at anyone. "I think that three against one is unfair, non? What we are doing is not your business, and this is not your homeland, so unless you are _trying_ to be killed, you will not go around looking for trouble."

"How do you know this is not our home? We wear the same cloak as your 'law enforcement'," asked one of the other Rangers.

Lewis rolled his eyes. "How do I know this isn't your home? You're human. There are no houses, or tree homes anywhere. And, as you pointed out, you wear the same cloak as our law enforcement, or at least some of them. We may know where we're going, but we aren't from around here either."

"What did you mean when you said 'you're human'? Is there nothing but creatures who live in these woods?"

"If you wanted to be racist and insulting, oui. Elves live in this forest, along with orcs, spiders bigger than you, and the occasional giant eagle. The last three might eat you, so you may wish to watch out for them." Lewis saw that he was making the newcomers slightly nervous and pretty skeptical. He was totally calm, almost bored.

"Elves don't exist. They are fairytales."

Lewis grinned toward Ratreis. "Hear that, Reis? Apparently, you are a fairytale."

Ratreis smirked back. "Oui, il est souvent dit." (**Yes, it is often said.**)

The knight asked, "What is an orc?"

Lewis had no idea how to explain it so they would understand, so he looked at Rats. She said, "Comme Wargals sous contrôle, sauf méchant, laid, et ils mangent les humains." (**As Wargals under control, but nasty, ugly, and they eat humans.**)

The Ranger who could speak French had a brief expression of disgust before resuming his ever-grim expression. Lewis gave a slight smile and said, "Ah, well, we must be on our way. Follow if you like, or go your own path."

The French Ranger, as Lewis was beginning to think of him, looked at the others and said, "You know the territory, and we do not. If you will have us, we will follow you."

"Then let's get started."

Xxx

"Are you feeling all right, Healer Estel?"

Estel opened one eye slightly. Alyss was looking at her with concern. Probably with good reason, she had been riding for the last twenty minutes silently and eyes closed. She resisted the urge just to break into a gallop.

"I am fine, Alyss."

"Are you sure? You're looking really pale-"

"I'm fine!" The horse immediately broke into a gallop. It knew Estel like a sister. Estel knew that she had just proved that she was not fine, but she didn't care. Alyss was following, she knew. Alyss would follow until she was home.

Riding helped, a bit. She was less frustrated when Ruthuiel slowed down. Alyss caught up to her. She didn't say anything, but Estel had the feeling she was holding something sarcastic back. Estel just dismounted and led Ruthuiel off the road to a grassy, slightly hidden area. She didn't bother tying the horses up, but she did take their saddles and bridles off. Then she sat on the ground and lay back, putting her hands behind her head and just looking at the twilight sky.

Alyss got a fire going and watched Estel. Finally she asked, "What's wrong?"

Estel simply stared at the twilight sky for a while. Alyss started to think she was not going to answer, but Estel said, "I'm just frustrated, Alyss."

"Why?" Estel sensed that Alyss thought it was because of her.

"It's…my family. Our problems. Most of the time, we're extremely irritated at each other."

"Why?"

"It's something I don't think you'd understand."

"Why? Because I'm an orphan?" Alyss asked sharply.

"No…" Estel paused. "It's because you aren't part of the family. You don't know any of them but me."

"Oh. Sorry." They were both silent. Neither of them were very hungry, so Alyss put out the fire and they both tried to sleep.

Xxx

"Do you trust them?" Will asked. It had been a day since they had joined the two strangers.

"They know the land and we don't. At least we now have a destination." Halt said. That destination was a place called Rohan. A big country. Reis had shown them the maps.

"That doesn't answer my question."

Halt ignored him. Will didn't say anymore, but instead watched the two men leading them on. It was uncanny how Reis, the one who only spoke Gallican, was dressed exactly like a Ranger. He also seemed to understand Arulen, even if he never spoke it. The other one, whose name Will didn't know yet, was wearing regular clothes, but they were dyed in the same colors as the cloak. He also had a hat in the same colors that he would pull over his shoulder-length blond hair.

Will blinked. Reis had disappeared. _No, he's using the cloak._ Will mentally slapped himself. "Halt…"

"I know!" The Ranger silently pulled an arrow out of his quiver and his apprentice followed suit. Behind them, Gilan also copyed the movement, though he wasn't sure why, since he couldn't see the Gallicans from his position. Horace put his hand on his sword, but did not pull it out.

They walked on until they came to a stream. There, the Gallican sat down on a big rock and lay his bow across his knees.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Halt.

"We are waiting for Reis to return."

"Him and the ambush?" Will blurted out before he could stop himself. Halt gave Will a death glare.

"What?" The Gallican asked, clearly confused. "You think Reis—you think Reis is bringing an ambush?"

"That would explain why he left without notice." Will was feeling a bit foolish, but he was covering it up as best he could.

The Gallican's confused look quickly turned to dull humor. "If you saw Reis leave, obviously it was not 'without notice'" The Gallican reached down to scratch a puppy's ears. It looked like a wolf pup. "I don't think we've actually introduced ourselves. I'm Lewis Greene. Our currently missing law enforcement is Reis Greene."

"I'm Horace."

"Halt."

"Gilan."

"Will."


	9. Spiders

**Sorry this took way too long! I will not bother you with lame excuses.**

Ratreis slunk almost silently through the trees, listening for what she was tracking. "Ney-iiiah!" Even with her hearing, the cry was barely audible. She was still going the right way. Ratreis quickened her pace.

A fearful whinny cut through the trees. Ratreis was running now, and leaped into the trees. Unlike the ground, she knew they would not fail her.

She stopped short of a huge spider web and dropped to the ground. After a quick scan of the area, she found that it was a web city. Everything was a shiny gray, noted for stickiness. _Damn!_ she thought, and then carefully started to pick her way across the webs, stepping between the strands.

After a few feet, Ratreis found it impossible to go any farther without getting stuck. "Ney-iiiah!" The horses were now directly in front of her, webbed to the ground. Above them were several human shaped sacs. _Of course. Eat humans now, save horses for when food becomes scarce._

**:Now, horsies, don't buck when I jump:** Ratreis didn't waste a second. She jumped and grabbed a sticky tree branch, swung, and fell between the horses, in a rare, unwebbed spot of land. The horses started to become uneasy, as she permanently had the smell of wolves on her. She glared at them and they stilled. _Now, let's see if I can still do this._ Ratreis focused. "Brisinger!" Flames attacked the webs, but they wouldn't hurt anything living. She spread them to the sacs above and the webs around the horses' feet.

Ratreis was surprised when she found who had been in the sacs. _Valar! Elrondions and Cricketeer!_ Elladan was the first to drop out of the web, still unconscious, and she tied him to one of the big, white horses, which she guessed had to be the twins'. Cori dropped next, and Ratreis put her on Tug. Elrohir went on the other white horse and Ratreis on Abelard. She'd had enough sense to ask both Ranger horses for permission first, Tug in English and Abe in Gallic.

There was suddenly a rumbling from above, and Ratreis looked up. Hundreds of giant spiders were climbing down the trees at an impossible pace. "Ai! Run!" The horses galloped. Ratreis steered Abe away from where Lewis should be, if the troupe had kept moving in her absence. They were heading toward a stream, where Ratreis hoped to lose them.

xxx

Lewis noticed the silence of the animals immediately. The Rangers and Horace did also, and they drew their weapons. There came the sound of many running feet through the trees, more than what should have been possible. "Run!" yelled Reis. "Run like hell!"

They followed orders without hesitation. Within moments, the horses were among them. Reis jumped off of Abe as Halt did a running mount. She landed on one of the twins' horses, yanked Lewis up, and jumped off. Everyone else had gotten onto their horse.

Will looked back at the army of huge spiders behind him and automatically wrapped an arm around the unconscious rider in front of him. To fall off would be death. He saw Reis ride up next to him, a passenger also on his horse. "If you can, shoot spiders! Don't kill, aim for legs!" Reis was riding sidesaddle, with an arm wrapped around his passenger and also holding the arrow on his bowstring. It was possibly the worst shooting Will had ever seen, but it was knocking down spiders.

Will quickly summed up the situation and decided that it would not be possible for him to shoot without losing his passenger, bow, or both, so he did the only thing he could do: Hang on.

The chase went on for what seemed like many hours before the spiders abruptly stopped and turned around. The group did not have the energy to figure the cause of this; they merely found a passable campsite and crashed. None of them could even take watch, and Reis left this duty to her pups.

xxx

_Alyss is adjusting well to life as a Healer, _Estel thought. _The work is giving her something to focus on other than being in a strange place without anyone she knows and needing to trust a total stranger._ Alyss was doing exceptionally in everything except brewing, which she would mix up instructions on once in a while. It didn't really matter, as most brewing was done in a calm time and not during a battle or other extreme situations, so she would rarely need to call upon her memory to brew. _And there's also the fact that she's not actually training to become fully-fledged._ Estel scolded herself at that thought. _She doesn't know if she'll ever be going home, of _course_ she's training as hard as any apprentice. Even harder, because she's on a time crunch._

Knowing that she was not going to get any sleep, Estel got up and sent Alyss to one of the empty houses. The entire village was in the inn and the next house over, fighting an epidemic of smallpox. The village had no Healer, and as they were traveling on nonessential business, they were now the temporary Healers of the village. They had raised the flag of disease, and gotten to work, cooling fevers, feeding, making medicine, and generally comforting the villagers.

Four hours later, Alyss had forced Estel back to bed with the stubbornness of a mule and some tea that could put people to sleep in seconds. She had not actually made Estel drink the tea, as the threat was enough.

She couldn't see. She tried to move, but nothing was responding. Claustrophobia was settling in. She fought it, and forced herself to stay calm and find out where she was. She concentrated on listening and feeling. There were some wires attached to various parts of her.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Must be a heart monitor, or whatever the heck they call them. Why would she have one? What had happened?_

_Footsteps. Someone was coming near. "Hey Molly," the person said, sadness tinged their voice._

"_Hey."_

"_I brought you coffee."_

"_No thanks."_

"_Are you doing alright?"_

_Sniff. "That's such a stupid question, Alex. Do I look all right? One of my cousins is dead and the other three are in comas. There is no possible way I can be 'all right.'"_

"_Yeah. Don't forget Lewis, also a coma."_

"No. Oh God, Alex, of all possible fates, I never expected Ratreis to die of a lion attack!" A burst into sobs.

Estel jerked up. _Oh Eru, what on Arda is going on?_

**A/N: Sorry it's short. I think the next one will be longer. I can't believe it took two months to write this chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**And it's been a month, but the story continues!**

Elladan woke up not knowing where he was. Hardly moving, he examined where he was. A campsite, more or less, with several other people beside him. No fires, no tents, but no orcs either. _They could still be bandits_, he reminded himself dully.

He nearly yelped when he saw someone coming towards him. The stranger quickly put their hand over his mouth and in a whisper said, "Shush. Your brother is sleeping."

Elladan slapped the stranger's hand away before whispering, "Who are you?" He was not sure he trusted this person.

"A friend, I hope. The folks in this band call me Reis."

"That is not your real name." It was halfway between a statement and a question. Elladan could mentally see his father raise an eyebrow to that as this stranger did the same.

"No. You should probably get some more sleep. It is a few hours before daylight. I will answer other questions then."

"Wait, one more. Are you Men or Elves?"

The stranger smiled. "A mixture." Elladan relaxed slightly, still not intending to sleep, but trying to give it the illusion of sleep.

xxx

"Jeez, feels like I spent the day on a horse." The moon was straight above her, halfway between first quarter and full. _So Nary still will need to be asleep at this hour, but it's not likely that she actually is._

She noticed two puppies curled up beside her. "Where am I anyway?" she asked, not expecting an answer.

"Depending on exactly what you want to know, there are a multitude of answers to the question." Cori jumped at the low voice. "Relax, Cricket, before you wake something up."

"Nary? When did you get here? And when did you put us?"

"Call me Reis, a couple days ago, sometime in the second or third age, and I currently speak French. Go back to sleep."

"Why with the French thing? Who else is here?"

"You want names, or races and jobs?"

"Names."

"Reis, Lewis, Elladan, Elrohir, Coralin, Horace Altman, Halt Carrick, Gilan Somebody, and Will Treaty."

"Okay, now races, jobs, and countries."

"Reis, New York-"

"That's not a country."

"No one else knows that. Reis, New York, Law Enforcement. Lewis, New York, Idiot."

"Very funny."

"Fine. He's a law enforcer too. Elladan and Elrohir, Imladris, Sons of the Lord Elrond-"

"Is that a real job?"

"Will you shut up?" Cori thought a moment, and nodded. "Horace Altman, Araluen, Knight." Ratreis glared as Cori opened her mouth. "Halt, Gilan, Will, Araluen, Rangers."

"Damn. Will's older than me now."

"Technically, you two aren't even born yet."

"Well, maybe when I wake up, I will be three instead of thirteen. Good morning." Cori closed her eyes and was instantly asleep. Ratreis shook her head in wonder. She had never been able to do that.

As Ratreis returned to watch, she glanced at the Elrondions. She had told them to get back to sleep, but she doubted that they had followed her orders. The main cause of this doubt was that they both had their eyes closed. She rolled her eyes, _I swear…_

xxx

Elladan, Elrohir, and Cori "woke" before dawn. Ratreis set Cori to making breakfast, and Elrohir decided to help. Elladan merely watched.

"You aren't helping?" Elladan asked.

"I can't cook," said Ratreis with a slight grin. "Nothing worth eating, anyway."

They sat in silence before Elladan said, "Too many cooks spoil the meal."

The rest of the group woke up soon after the smell of eggs cooking reached them. Ratreis had disappeared, likely in a tree somewhere. Everyone else sat and ate and talked.

"Where are you from?" Will asked Cori.

"Araluen, originally, but I've been about everywhere since then."

"Your family travels a lot then?"

"Most of us. Estel's a Healer, so she doesn't travel as much as the rest of us. I'm always on the run, I'm a messenger, and Reis…well, Reis was just born a traveler." _You'd just never guess what kind._

"Aren't you a little young to be running to the ends of the Earth and back?" Will asked with a slight smirk.

"Actually, I'm not." Cori said, completely matter of fact.

"Then…what about Lewis?"

"Lewis…he's still in school."

"School?"

"Apprenticeship. He's going to become a law enforcement of New York."

"Oh. What do your parents do?"

"They lay in the ground all day."

This confused Will for a moment. Then he realized what she meant. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I never knew them."

From above, Ratreis watched the two smallest ones. Will would be sixteen or seventeen, and Cori would always be thirteen. _It's highly likely they won't guess a thing…_

_But then there's Cori's "curse" to think about._ Ratreis frowned darkly. _'Immortality is the cost of not finding what you have lost.' Do I have the right to keep it from them? So far I'm the only one who knows what Cori's "lost." I haven't even told Diego. There's the feeling that she must find out on her own once she's finally ready to move on, but there is also the feeling that I am being selfish and not wanting to let her go. What am I to choose?_ She sighed, disliking the need for a decision to be made.

Halt and Elladan had tried to start a conversation, but the attempt had fallen flat. They were rather awkward, each thinking the other as very young, though that was not the case with either. Elladan had then moved over to where his brother was talking to Gilan.

Halt observed Reis as the young man seemed to have an internal argument with himself. The boy changed expressions almost faster than Halt could follow, and finally sighed discontentedly and leaned back against the tree trunk. Out of curiosity, Halt got up, intending to sneak up on Reis.

He was about two feet away from the tree when Reis said, "Bonjour, Halt. Etes-vous bien?" (**Hello, Halt. Are you well?**)

"Je suis," he said. "Et vous?" (**I am. And you?**)

"Troubled, but nothing to worry about."

"I see you have given up the pretense of only knowing how to speak Gallican. Are you and Lewis really from New York, or is that a lie too?"

"I don't lie," Reis said calmly. "I simply do not correct others' mistakes concerning myself, not caring what they think of me or if it is right."

"Many would consider that as good as a lie."

"'Not caring one way or the other' is the key term here, Ranger."

Halt raised his eyebrow disapprovingly. "Were you always like this, or did your mentor teach you?"

Reis smiled slightly. "It comes naturally at my age."

"I notice that Gilan acts in no such way, nor does Elladan or Elrohir."

"They are not _my age_, boy." Reis's gaze wandered to Elrohir. "Those two will get into so much trouble if they aren't looked after."

Cut off from his chance of sarcastic retort, Halt said, "It sounds like you know them."

Reis snorted. "I'm a parent. We know things like this."

It took a few minutes for his response. "We could always escort them to their destination. I would feel guilty if the forest burned down because they were left alone."

"I don't know, you may not want to…they're going to Mirkwood palace, though I'm not sure if it's called that anymore. It's an Elven kingdom."

xxx

A short while later, the Elrondions saddled their horses. "Thank you for your help and hospitality toward two Elven…rascals, isn't it?" Elladan said. "We must be leaving, though."

"Actually," Cori said, smiling ever so slightly. "If you don't mind, we'll ride with you the rest of the way, to keep you company and out of trouble."

Elladan raised an eyebrow, looking much like his father. "That would-"

"Be wonderful," Elrohir finished. "We've only been to Mirkwood a few times, and I swear these trees will get up and walk off if you let them out of your sight!"

"Nah, I heard that only happens in Entwood."

Everyone quickly packed up, those who had them saddled horses, and the group set off for Mirkwood palace.

**Am I confusing you yet? Were the characters a little OOC? I haven't read RA in a while, so they might be getting there. Will you review? Please?**


	11. Epidemics

**Ah hello my dear readers! I am so very sorry that it has taken me almost a full year to update this story! Please enjoy, though it cannot make up for a year of stagnate writing.**

Lady Pauline read over the two letters again. Being a Courier, she'd memorized the notes the first time she had read them, but she still could hardly believe it.

Solemnly, she walked over to where her apprentice lay, appearing to be sleeping. And she was. She just wouldn't wake up. The healer that visited hourly had already said that there was nothing that could be done and it was up to Lady Alyss herself if she would wake up or not.

Lady Pauline hated this. Much like her charge and love of her life, she couldn't stand not being able to do anything. And now, thanks to these letters, she felt even more helpless than before.

The first one had been from Crowley. At this year's Gathering, he had written, Gilan had collapsed during his toast at dinner and could not be woken. They had gotten him to the nearest healer as fast as possible, but there was nothing that any of the Rangers could do. Currently Crowley and Geldon were watching over him.

The second letter was from Ranger Bartell. Halt and Will hadn't shown up when they said they would, and after waiting a day the Ranger went to look for them. He had found them a day's ride away, just off the main road, unconscious and impossible to wake. He had first thought them to have been poisoned or injured, but the Healer had assured him that this was not the case.

And that left her with Alyss and Horace, who also had this problem. When she had told the healer about the letters, he had the theory that whatever this was might be a disease that could be caught, and she, along with all others who had come to visit, were now under quarantine.

Nothing had happened; she hadn't caught the disease, and neither Horace not Alyss seemed to be getting any better. Sir Rodney was going insane from the inactivity. The two mentors had brainstormed and discussed every possibility, from stress to disease to sorcery. They had still not come up with anything.

The healer came in to check up on everyone. He asked how Pauline and Rodney were feeling.

"Fine," Pauline said.

"Useless," growled Rodney. "And not contagious. Have you figured out what's wrong with them yet?" Rodney was usually very polite with other adults, but between his idleness and worry for his student, he was not in the mood for it.

"I'm sorry, but we have never seen anything like this. Having five people suddenly become comatose at nearly the same time? There's never been such a case!"

"Well, there is now, so figure it out!"

"Rodney!" Pauline snapped. "There is no need for this! The healers are doing all they can, you know that!" The healer smiled apologetically and thankfully at her.

Rodney put his head in his hands. "I know. I'm sorry. I've just been so worried about our friends…"

Pauline put a hand on his back. "I know, Rodney. I know."

xxx

"Alyss, help me get this woman into the bath. She's burning up." Estel spoke in a low voice, but Alyss ran over.

"Will she be alright?" Alyss asked. This was one of the weaker ones, struggling to stay alive.

"I hope so." They lifted her into the ice water and Alyss went to continue helping the others. This was the tail end of the disease, so there were less and less people each day. Thankfully, the majority of them were just going home, not "going home." This woman, however…

"Healer?" the woman whispered.

"Yes, dear?"

"I'm leaving soon, aren't I?"

Estel hesitated. "You can still make it. You can get better."

"No." She was certain of this. "Healer, I have a child."

Estel smiled. "Yes, I know. He is with his grandmother. They didn't catch smallpox."

"Thank you." The woman closed her eyes, exhausted. Estel knew that, though she was still alive, she would not wake up. Having brought her fever down, Estel carried the woman back to her bed. She then joined Alyss, feeding the remaining patients. Alyss gave her a questioning look, and Estel just smiled sadly.

The door opened and shut. Alyss and Estel both looked up to see another Healer walk toward them. He was younger, with bright red hair and an unnaturally serious face. He worked alongside them silently until they all stopped for a meal.

"So, who are you?" Estel asked quietly, only half paying attention. She'd seen him before, but she couldn't remember where from.

"My name is Guryn. I've just been assigned here. I didn't know there was an epidemic, else I'd have been here faster." Oh, yes. The apprentice who kept pestering her last time she had attended a meeting of Healers.

"Do not worry about that. There was no way you could have known, and we have taken care of them."

"I suppose so." Guryn said. He stood up and got back to work. Alyss had already done so, seemingly uninterested in the newcomer, though she had listened to every word. He studied her for a moment, then asked Estel, "She's not an apprentice, is she?"

"Yes, I am," Alyss said evenly. _Talk to me, not about me,_ she mentally voiced to him.

"Didn't you say that you couldn't stand raising children?" Guryn asked, eyes twinkling. "And that was why Aaron got me instead of you?"

"Actually, what I said was that I didn't plan to stick around long enough to train one of you and therefore Aaron was a better candidate," Estel muttered.

"And yet here you are," Guryn said, adjusting the blankets on a patient's bed.

"And yet here I am. Let us make the best of it."

**I know this chapter wasn't worth a whole year of waiting, but at least I'm back, right? Would you please be so kind as to push the blue button and write a word or two?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well! This seems like a really short chapter, despite being over a thousand words. It's also taken a life of its own, but hey, it's writing itself. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ratreis chucked her bag at the foot of a nearby tree as the group settled in for the night. She glanced at Cori and Will; throughout the day, they had taken turns riding on Tug and were now deep into a conversation about Skandian weaponry. Lewis began preparing chili for dinner. "Would you like me to make some for you?" he asked her. "Or are you still not hungry?"

"Don't bother for me," she answered.

Horace had a questioning look on his face. "I don't understand," he said. "You haven't eaten in at least a week. Surely you're starving?"

Ratreis smiled ruefully. "I can't eat solid food. It makes me ill."

"Why?" Gilan was also curious.

"I don't know. I used to be perfectly normal when I was a child, but then…" she shrugged. "Who's up for music?"

"Music?" Everyone else was slightly caught off guard by the sudden change of topics.

"Sure. I have a fiddle." Ratreis picked up her bag and began rummaging through it. She set out three polished pieces of wood and a spool of wires. She fit the long piece and the eight-shaped piece together. Then she took the outer wire, which on closer inspection turned out to be horsehair, and attached it to the third piece of wood. The other wires were attached to the main body. The others waited several minutes while she tuned the instrument. When Ratreis had tuned it to her liking, she asked, "So, any requests as far as music goes?"

"How about _Henry Joy_?" Cori asked. "It's something everyone will probably be okay with."

"Henry Joy. Okay, I think I can do that." She started a simple melody. "An Ulsterman I am proud to be, from the Antrim Glens I come, although I labor by the sea, I have followed flag and drum…"

Ratreis sang Araluen songs, French songs, older American and Irish songs, Elvish songs, and even a Dwarf working hymn. Once she saw Cori's eyelids drooping, she switched to softer songs. Elladan offered to stay up on guard while she and Elrohir watched everyone else drift off.

"Your voice does very well as far as singing in boyish pitches," Elrohir said quietly, watching Cori sleep. She was curled up in Ratreis's cloak and seemed completely at peace.

"Thank you. I've been working on it for a while," Ratreis said, smiling a little.

"Why? I don't believe that the men would think any less of you if they realized you were a woman. They have accepted Cori, at least. Why do you hide it from them?"

Ratreis thought about it. "I haven't intentionally hid it from them. They just made their initial assessments about me, and I haven't bothered to correct them yet."

"Why?"

"Appearances can be rather useful. It keeps things interesting." Ratreis began to disassemble her fiddle. "It also keeps people from knowing your secrets, if they think they already do."

Elrohir stared at her for a while, trying to figure her out. She simply ignored him, repacking the instrument and curling up to sleep.

xxx

Alyss waved goodbye to Guryn as she caught up with Estel. The epidemic was over; they had just finished with the funerals. There had only been five, which was almost miraculous.

"Estel?" Alyss asked.

"Yes?"

"How long have you been a Healer?"

"Longer than you have." Estel seemed to be watching a fixed point on the horizon.

"Yes, I know that. But how long?"

"Very long." Alyss figured that that would be all she got for today and didn't press further.

"What are you looking at?" she asked instead.

"Nothing much. Just testing my eyesight. It's gotten better over the last year. No pollution."

"Pollution?"

"Smoke in the air. Grey-brown skies. It's hell on good eyesight. You can't see anything past a mile on a good day."

"Oh. Was pollution a great problem last year?"

"It's always a problem, but not in this country. I came here last year, and the difference is amazing. I had forgotten how clear the air was. Of course, I'd like to go back sometime, but this is almost a working vacation."

"I'm not sure how I got here," Alyss admitted. "One day I was in Redmont, the next, I was in the alley where you found me."

"Are you unhappy at the prospect of being here?"

The question caught Alyss a bit off guard. She thought about it. "Well, it's not too bad, being here. Mostly I miss my mentor and friends."

Estel smiled a bit. "I'm sure you will get back to them soon enough."

xxx

Lewis walked a bit behind the horses, eyes constantly searching for movement. He knew that Ratreis was doing the same at the front, and the twins from the sides. He felt watched, but he couldn't identify the source. The rest of the group had also noticed it, as their conversations had generally died away.

A yelp brought his attention rushing to the front. Ratreis had been flung into the air by a snare. There was a round of glinting in the trees, as arrows were pulled out of quivers and set on bows. All hands on the ground reached for their weapons. Ratreis swore violently in French.

An elf dropped from the trees, pulling out a sword and pointing it at Lewis's throat. Lewis stared, wide-eyed, as the elf said something. He tried to mentally translate it as best he could. Ratreis beat him to it.

"We're escorting the two Elrondions! Put that sword down, idiot! We come in peace!" Only as Lewis took in the blond hair and recognized just who he was facing did he realize that calling the king of Mirkwood an idiot was probably not the best idea.

Ratreis managed to free herself from the snare as Thranduil lowered his sword, slightly. In perfect English, he said, "My name is King Thranduil, and I rule these realms. I am not an idiot, and the weapons you carry clearly show that you could just as easily be foe as friend."

Ratreis gave something that could pass as a bow in Thranduil's direction and said, "Pleasure to meet you. And may I inquire as to what your Kingliness is doing tromping about the woods instead of ruling the realms?" Her voice was neutral, neither caring nor disrespectful.

"I and this company are searching out a band of orcs and men. They have kidnapped several of my people, including my son."

Elladan and Elrohir wore identical expressions of shock. "Legolas?" Elladan asked.

"What happened?" Elrohir wanted to know.

"How can we help?" asked Elladan gently.

"We're searching for a party about fifty strong, with only ten being orcs, twenty men and twenty of us," Thranduil said. "Last we saw they were headed southwest."

"Ro and I will help you. We'll help scout, or something."

"And the rest of you?" Thranduil was not in the mood for nicey-nice politics.

Ratreis looked around with a raised eyebrow. Horace, Halt, Will, Gilan, and Lewis all gave nods. Cori had that look in her eyes. "Yes," Ratreis said. "We will help."

**Like it? Hate it? Review? Please?**


	13. A Scared Little Girl

**Yes, my updates are slower than an Entwood philosophical debate, I know. And it's possible that my chapters are super short. Still, at least I haven't abandoned it, yes?**

The Elves were skilled trackers, but the kidnappers were professionals. They had scattered in every direction after the raid, and every trail the Elves had followed disappeared within the hour. That's when Reis had begun acting funny.

Will and Reis had been assigned to a small party of Elves. The group had been split up, Will assumed, because the Elf king didn't trust them. And it would be better to have small parties follow each trail, anyway.

When the trail had disappeared, Reis had started muttering to himself in Gallic. He searched the trees visually, and then crawled on the ground. His wolf pup was sniffing around next to him. The other one had gone with Cori.

Reis picked up a stick and tied three colored bands around it. "We're looking for a human," he said. "Just one, with no captives. No scent either," he muttered the last few words.

One of the Elves asked a question in their own language. He answered in the same language, then in Araluen for Will's benefit. "These people are highly skilled and know how to compensate for Elvin sight. They likely used some kind of herbal paste to disguise their scent so dogs can't track them, and know how to slip through the forest with barely a trace. In New York we call them ninjas."

"Ninjas? Do they come from Nihon-Ja?"

"Mm," Reis said, focusing on the stick and the ground.

"What are you doing?" Will asked.

"This is a little hunting trick I learned over the years. It gives you the approximate distance between each foot, making it easier to find a sign." Apparently finding something, Reis hopped to his left. "I smell pineapples," he muttered.

"What are-?"

"A type of fruit. It doesn't matter." He looked over at his wolf pup. "Do you smell pineapples?" The pup sneezed. "Thought not."

"Does your dog really understand you? Is he specially trained, like Ranger horses?"

One of the Elves cocked his head and said something. The other two smiled, while Reis just shook his head. "Shut up," he said cheerfully.

"What did they say?" Will asked.

"That you ask too many questions." Suddenly the Elves and Reis tensed up. Will immediately went silent, listening for whatever they heard. The Elves nocked their bows, but Reis made a hand gesture for them to be silent.

A little girl burst through the trees. She froze, then, seeing who they were, burst into tears and ran to Reis. Caught off guard, it was a moment before Reis put his arms around the girl and started speaking to her softly in Elvish.

The little girl began babbling. Not being able to understand the language himself, Will watched as the Elves' faces became more and more concerned. Finally Reis asked a question, and the girl spoke with such terror that Reis immediately began speaking again. They reached some sort of agreement and Will saw the little girl force herself to relax, taking deep breaths and clutching tightly to Reis while he stroked her hair.

Reis took the girl by the hand and said, "Come down, Ellethwen," to the trees. A woman in a green tunic and pants leaped down. Reis turned back to the girl and said something else in a comforting tone, ending with a question. The girl nodded and walked over to Ellethwen, who led the child away, pausing only to shoot a glare back at Reis.

"What was that all about?" Will asked, once Ellethwen was out of sight.

"Oh, she thinks I stole her dog," Reis said cheerfully. Then he frowned. "Wait, did you mean with the little girl or the Healer?"

"Both. The whole thing."

"Right," Reis was looking _very_ happy. "I know where the bandits are. Or at least where they were last."

"What?" One of the elves spoke in English, presumably for Will to understand. "She said nothing of the sort! How could you possibly know where the bandits are?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Reis also narrowed his eyes, no longer looking happy. "I know a few tricks." He looked at the other Elf. "Have you a map?" The Elf nodded and reached into his pack. Reis unrolled the map and pointed out a small valley near the edge of the forest. "You," he gestured toward the Common-speaking Elf, "will need to go find Mr. King Thranduil and tell him. I'll leave the planning up to him." Reis shooed him away with the map. He looked around. "We'd better stay put until he comes back. This part of the forest looks just like all the other parts of the forest."

The remaining Elf snorted. "Law. Lin hen il maeg."

"What?" Will asked.

"He's insulting me, it's nothing important. Would you like to learn?"

"How to insult you? I think I can do that already, thanks."

"Not _that_. Your mentor would kill me. No, I meant learn Elvish. It's not good for you to have no idea of what's going on. I can teach you some basic nouns and verbs, so you could at least get a bit of what's being said."

"I'd like that."

**Elvish Translation**

**Law. Lin hen il maeg—No. Your eye is not sharp.**

**Review? Please?**


	14. Chapter 14

While they waited for King Thranduil, Reis quickly launched into a crash course in Elvish. Actually, it wasn't so much of a crash course as a list of words most likely to be said in present company and what they mean. He was also pacing back and forth so much that Will was starting to get dizzy.

"Reis," Cori said with forced calm. "Sit down. You're acting like a first-time father whose wife is about midway through labor." Will noticed that the Elves were slightly shocked at the audacity of this comment.

It worked however, so not much could be said. Reis dropped quickly onto a rock, folding his arms like a sullen prince. "I am not," he said, scowling.

"Oh s'il vous plaît. J'ai dû regarder votre mari passer par la même fichue chose." **(Oh please. I had to watch your husband go through the same damn thing.)**

"Farcir tu," Reis said. **(Stuff you.)**

"Or, better yet, both of you put a sock in it and get down to business. The king has arrived." Lewis was becoming increasingly comfortable among the Elves and the Rangers. At least, he was becoming more talkative and witty in relation to Reis.

The king had indeed arrived. He was scowling and looked at Reis with quite a bit of suspicion. He said something in Elvish, and Reis answered back. Lewis leaned against a tree near Will.

"The king is beginning to wonder if my sibling is a spy for the kidnappers," Lewis muttered. Will shot a look at him, wide-eyed. "He's wrong of course, and Reis told him that. Now he's wanting proof." They watched as Reis told Thranduil something, with a soft, deadly anger in his voice. "Uh…Reis is explaining how 'e figured out where the bandits are holed up, and Thranduil doesn't believe Reis, no surprises there—"

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?" Thranduil asked, suddenly turning on Lewis, with the same deadly tone as what Reis had just employed.

Lewis glanced at Cori, who was trying to stifle giggles. She would be no help. "It's the Sherlockian Method, sir. Everyone introduced to it is either in awe, considers it a cheap trick or lie, or proceeds to try and burn you at the stake. Nothing personal, sir, just nothing surprising."

Thranduil frowned a little deeper, but turned back to Reis. Lewis sagged against the tree in relief. He really didn't want to get on the Elf King's bad side.

"Now what are they saying?" Will asked.

"Now they're beginning to discuss plans of attack. Thranduil just dismissed people to get the rest of the Elves and our group."

Will was about to suggest that they might help, but saw a much more pressing matter. "What is your little sister doing?" he asked. Cori was wandering off into the woods.

"Oh, she's probably just off to do her business," Lewis answered offhandedly.

"What business?" Will asked. Lewis gave him a look. "Oh, that business. Right." Will was sure he was blushing, at least slightly, if the way Lewis was smirking was any indicator.

"Your friends are here," Lewis said. Horace and Gilan stepped into sight with some more Elves. "Tell me, is the knight-guy really called the Oakleaf Pancake?"

"What-" Will began, with a shocked look on his face.

"Figures as much. Reis is playing a joke on me again." Lewis then stared intently at the Elves, listening to their conversation.

"Should we be helping them make plans?" Gilan asked, walking over to them. Horace followed.

"Reis has got it covered," Lewis said absently.

"But Reis barely knows us! How could—"

"Once again, I refer you to the Sherlockian Method," Lewis said. Two Elves broke away from the main group and ran off into the woods, right past Cori, who was coming back.

"Well _excusez-moi!_" she said, huffing and making her way over to Lewis and the Araluens.

"Where are they going?" Horace asked.

"They're scouts," Lewis said.

"Oh."

"I went to see the Healer," Cori said. "You know, just in case anyone was wondering…or cared…"

"Oh? And how is the Healer?" Lewis asked.

"Much happier, now that she has her dog back. She was highly displeased that Reis turned it into a puppy and then dognapped it. And the Elfling is better, too."

"Dognapped?" Will asked.

"Accidentally, I'm sure," Cori said flippantly.

"How could Reis turn a dog into a puppy?" Horace asked.

"Oh, that's basic alchemy. Well, okay, not terribly basic, it's harder than aging something—"

"Alchemy?" Horace asked. "Reis is a wizard?"

"You don't have to be a wizard to make potions and blow stuff up," Cori said, scowling. Lewis held back a smirk. Cori and Reis were very good at non-answers.

"But isn't alchemy—"

"The art of turning things into other things? Why yes, it is. It has nothing to do with wizardry, just normal people think so because it makes the story so much more interesting." That shut Horace up.

"Cori, sois gentil," **(be nice)** Lewis said, a slight smile on his face.

"Farcir tu."

"Classy," Lewis said, rolling his eyes. "Oh look, Reis is arguing again."

"About what?" Gilan asked.

"Look, everyone else is back again," Cori said, pointing at the trees, whose occupants had multiplied.

"What is Reis arguing about?" Gilan asked again as Halt joined the group.

"Oh, they're arguing back and forth about how well men can see in the dark and whether or not you'll be useful in the raid," Cori said.

"Of course we'll be useful!" Will said.

Cori laughed. Will glared at her. "Them, not you," she said. "The Elves just compared Horace to a Dwarf."

"Me? A Dwarf?"

"I don't think he meets the height requirements," Lewis said. "But they said that he's walks and eats like a Dwarf, so I'm not sure if that completely counts or not."

"How do I walk like a Dwarf?" Horace asked.

"Loudly. As in you actually walk like a normal person, not a sneaky little bugger like an Elf or Ranger. Although, I do think it is quite impossible to walk like an Elf."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because they walk on top of snow—" Lewis said.

"And if they tried to walk off the end of a branch on a tree, another one would just come and take its place." Cori said.

"They can walk on top of snow?" Will asked. "How?"

"They're Elves. I really can't explain it further than that."

"Wait a minute," Gilan said, as if just coming to a realization. "How can they build a plan without information about the enemy?"

"Because they're Elves?" Lewis asked.

"You're stereotyping," Reis said, joining them. "Vous avez été très calme, Ranger." **(You've been very quiet, Ranger.)**

"I don't find it necessary to populate every silent moment with questions," Halt said.

"And yet you have questions that would like to be answered."

"One, mainly: What is the plan and our involvement in it?"

"That's—" Lewis started to say, but fell silent as Reis glared at him.

"The Elves think that we would be best suited to causing a distraction."

"A distraction?" Gilan asked.

"I'm game." Lewis asked.

"No pun intended," Cori said. Lewis raised an eyebrow, but she ignored him."Am I included in this 'we?'"

"If you want. Otherwise you can be part of the reserve to help the captives get back to safety."

"I think that might be a better idea. Never too many hands for that task."

"All right. We're about a two-days' ride from where they're camped now," Reis said. "If we are so pressed, which we are, we could probably make it in a day and a half."

"What about the Elves?" Gilan asked. "Aside from Elladan and Elrohir, they don't appear to have any horses."

"In this kind of shrubbery, it's likely that the Elves and the horses will keep about the same pace, especially if the Elves are taking to the trees. They're light of foot and basically impossible to wear out, especially if they're worried or angry," Cori said.

Reis scowled at Cori. "Mirkwood is _not_ shrubbery."

Cori merely gave a cheeky grin.

xxx

Estel and Alyss rode steadily northeast, with very little happening. Occasionally they would meet another traveler, who would buy or trade wares with them, but most of it was studying and riding. When they stopped, they gathered edible plants and medicinal herbs, Estel always telling uses for each thing, or which plant seasoned pork better, or why nightshade killed faster than foxglove.

At night, when they were waiting for sleep to take them, Estel would point out constellations and tell Elvish and Rohirric folk tales, while Alyss would tell stories of life in Araluen and tales of the mysterious Rangers who were often perceived as sorcerers, but usually turned out to be heroes.

"—And then the Ranger set his arrow aflame and pulled back, aiming at the Kallkara. He released and the arrow shot true, lighting the Kallkara up like a warning beacon! He saved his mentor and the knight, and when they got back home, the Ranger was offered a chance at knighthood, but instead turned it down to stay a Ranger." Alyss sighed happily and lay back down on her bedroll.

"It seems you quite admire this mysterious Ranger," Estel teased.

"I most certainly do. Not that I would tell him that."

"No?"

"Of course not. I have to keep him guessing, at least until I'm sure of his feelings. And it's more fun, anyway."

Estel smiled. "My sister used to do that. She ended up with a lot of frustrated boys because she'd never give them a straight answer."

"I don't think that'll happen with the Ranger," Alice said dreamily. "He never gives up on something once he starts it."

"Good night, Alyss."

"Good night."

_Estel was again unable to move or see. The infernal beeping was beginning to be a nightly occurrence for her, and much of the time it was nothing but the monitor and her inability to move. This time, though, she heard doctors._

"_It's incredibly odd," one said. "Her brain is working properly, in fact, it's almost working in overdrive, using the parts associated with walking, talking, cognitive thinking, and basically everything a person normally does. The x-rays show that there is not a thing wrong with her spinal cord, so what in the world could possibly be going on?"_

"_I haven't the slightest idea," another said. "But this is an incredibly odd case indeed. I mean, since when do four people randomly go into comas at the same time?"_

"_Not usually unless there's drugs involved," the first one agreed. "Which we've checked for, and nothing."_

"_According to the cousin—what's her name again? Megan or something?"_

"_Molly."_

"_Yes, according to her, they're all family. Perhaps it's a certain genetic disease?"_

"_Even if, it wouldn't happen all at one time."_

"_Yeah, well, just throwing ideas out there."_

"_Yeah, I know."_

* * *

**This seemed like it was mostly a lot of chatter. **

**If you people feel that this is getting worse the longer I write, feel free to tell me. Also feel free to tell me if the opposite is true.**

**Na lû e-govaned vîn.**


End file.
